The Netherlands-India Association dates back to April 1951. During its past half a century history, its character and composition have changed considerably. The Association was created by a group of Dutch individuals, mostly academics, interested in the rich and diverse historical, cultural, social, religious, philosophical and spiritual aspects of India. In the beginning, membership of the Association was confined largely to the Dutch community because the Indian population in the Netherlands was rather scarce. Primarily, the Association was more concerned with academic activities such as organizing lectures, talks, debates and seminars highlighting the various aspects of Indian religions, culture and philosophy.

Late 1960s coincided with considerable change in the number of Indians living in the Netherlands and by 1969, their number rose significantly. This change marked a new phase in the history of the Association; the composition and character of the Association naturally but gradually started to reflect the socio-cultural interests of its Indian membership too. Its Constitution, written and adopted in June 1973, reflects this important change. The Netherlands-India Association has come a long way since its creation in 1951 but has always endeavoured to contribute actively to the development of Indo-Dutch cultural relations and to the strengthening of such bilateral ties.